There’s nothing quite like a room full of dogs to make you giddy with glee.
A friend of mine recently had a visit from the angels that are Paws in Work, and I watched his Instagram story approximately 4000 times before asking him to make it a highlight – I wanted it to be available forever so I could watch it whenever I felt stressed or sad. Watching the lil pups play gave me a surge of unparalleled happiness (with a subtle tinge of jealousy, of course) and suddenly all my worries washed away.
As I sat at my dogless desk I thought to myself, if I can feel this amount of joy just watching baby Frenchies chewing on each other’s toes through an iPhone screen, imagine the ecstasy I’d feel if I was actually there to see it IRL.
Well, the smart brains that make up Enactus, UCL’s newest social enterprise, are no strangers to the important connection between doggos and delight. Realising its power, they decided to launch the Dog Café pop-up to raise awareness and lower the stigma around mental health – and, you know, also just to make people’s days.
[See also: 34 pictures of dogs on the underground that will brighten your day.]
Partnering with London-based mental health charities SANE and Hello Love, the Dog Café will help to promote well-being. There’ll be mental health workshops, professional-led activities with the therapy dogs, a vegan café serving plant-based food and drink, and plenty of opportunities for cuddles with the pups.
The first in the series is happening this coming Sunday (February 24) at Hello Love in Bloomsbury, but has sadly sold out. Not to worry though! Due to its pupularity, they’ve promised that there will be more to come.
Follow their Facebook event to be the first to know about new dates.